Folding cot



June 2, 1959 J. w. BEREMAN 2,888,688

FOLDING COT Filed March 22. 1956 2 sheets-$1169. 1

INVENTOR John 14 Bereman ATTORNEY June 2, 1959 J. w. BEREMAN. 2,888,688

FOLDING COT Filed March 22. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. Y m m m w m 0 IR QT v m n h M, m B A Y W M mm m MW H .1 n a a\ .wv m n N a \w /V w .u & w mm. wv v \N United States Patent Ofi FOLDING COT John Worling Bereman, Climax Springs, M0.

Application March 22, 1956, Serial No. 573,205

4 Claims. (Cl. 5-111) The present invention relates to a folding cot and has for an object to provide a device of this kind which will admit of easy and ready collapsing to its storage position and yet when extended to its position of use Will be held securely against accidental collapsing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a folding cot in which the end sections are so mounted on the center sections and so connected to the cot bottom that the end sections are automatically moved through the final stages movements.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character in which the supporting legs will be automatically moved to their fully extended and collapsed condition upon movement of the center sections to their extended and collapsed positions.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a folding cot in which the weight of the occupant will tend to maintain the supporting legs in their fully extended position.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a device of this type in which the end sections substantially completely overlie and nest with the center sections when the device is collapsed so that in its collapsed condition it requires a minimum of storage space.

"With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cot in its fully extended position of use constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cot in its fully closed position ready for storage,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1,

' Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing in full lines the cot partially collapsed and in phantom lines in its fully collapsed condition,

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the cot, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the cot comprises a pair of center sections generally indicated at 10 and a pair of end sections generally indicated at 11. Each end section is of substantially U-shaped open frame construction and comprises a pair of legs 12 and an end or connecting piece 13 connected to the outer free ends of the legs 12 as by welding or in any other suitable manner. Each leg 12 is of angle iron shape in cross section and has a horizontal flange 14 and a vertical flange 15 and each end piece 13 is also of angle iron shape in cross section and has a horizontal flange 16 and a vertical flange 17.

of the extending and collapsing Each center section 10 comprises a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel side rails 18 of angle iron formation in cross section having a horizontal flange 19 and a vertical flange 20. The rails 18 are connected together at their inner adjacent ends by a center cross brace 21 which may be in the form of a flat bar having its opposite end portions bent upwardly at substantially right angles to the bar as indicated at 22. Each rail 18 is pivotally connected to the adjacent bent up portion 22 by a pivot pin 23 which may be in the form of a rivet and which extends through the portion 22 and the vertical flange 20 of the rail.

Each end section 11 is pivotally connected to the Patented June 2, 1959 of each vertical flange 20 and the inner face of each' link and is held by the pivot pin 25 and a pivot pin 27. Each leg 12 of each end section 11 is pivotally connected to its link 24 by a pivot pin 28 which may be in the form of a rivet and which extends through the link adjacent its upper end and through the vertical flange 15 of the leg 12 adjacent its inner end.

A supporting structure generally indicated at 29 is pivotally connected to each center section 10 by the pivot 1 pins 27. Each supporting structure comprises a pair of spaced apart legs 30 which may be of angle iron formation in cross section having a side flange 31 and an end flange 32 and a pair of crossed brace rods 33. A

fastening element such as a rivet 34 extends through the rods 33 at their point of crossing and rivets 35 extend through the outer end portions of the rods 33 and the end flanges 32 of the legs 30 to secure the rods'to' the legs.

An offset piece or plate 36 is secured against the outer face of the side flange 31 of each leg 30 adjacent the upper end portion thereof by fastening elements such as rivets 37 which extend through the flange 31 and the lower portion of the plate 36. The plate extends upwardly and outwardly and has its upper portion pivotally connected to the inner face of the vertical flange 20 of the adjacent rail 18 by a pivot pin 27. The lower edges of the legs 30 may be properly beveled to seat firmly upon the supporting surface. Each of the supporting structures 29 is connected-to.

its center section 10 by a pair of linkage means or structure, each of which is generally indicated .at 39. One l of each pair of linkage means is arranged at each side of the cot.

condition against accidental collapse.

These linkage structures will cause the automatic retraction or extension of the supporting structure upon the collapsing or extension of the center sections 10 and will hold the supporting structure in its extended Each of the structures 39 comprises two links 40 and 41 pivotally connected at their inner ends by a pivot element or pin 42 to form a toggle linkage. 40 is pivotally connected adjacent its outer end to the side flange 31 of the adjacent leg 30 by a pivot pin .43.

The link The link 41 is pivotally connected at its outer endto- 47 is pivotally connected to a second short link 49 at one end thereof by a pivot pin 50.

At its opposite end the second short link 49 is pivotally 2,sss,eae

connected to the adjacent rail 18 by the pivot pin 44. The lever 47 is pivotally connected at its inner end to the bent up portion 22 of the brace bar 21 by a pivot pin 51. A brace and guide plate 52 is secured to the bent up portion 22 by the pivot pins 51 of adjacent levers 47 and overlies the adjacent inner end portions of the levers 47 to reinforce and guide the levers during their pivotal movements.

A bed bottom 54 of canvas, ticking or the like occupies the space defined by the center sections 10 and end sections 11. Along its marginal edge the bed bottom has formed therein openings 55 into which are inserted grommets 56. The horizontal flanges of the center and end sections are provided with openings 57 corresponding and cooperating with the openings 56. Loops 58 of leather, cord or other suitable material extend through the openings 55 and 57 to support the bed bottom from the center and end sections.

In the use of the device, assuming that the cot is in its fully extended condition of use as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and it is desired to collapse it to its fully collapsed condition for storage illustrated in Figure 2, the end sections 11 will be swung in the direction of the arrows 59 from the full line position to the phantom line position of Figure 4 in which the end sections rest upon the center sections. The end sections are slightly wider than the center sections so that when in completely collapsed condition the horizontal flanges of the end sections will lie upon the horizontal flanges of the center sections and the vertical flanges of the end sections will lie outwardly of the vertical flanges of the center sections. With this arrangement, the center sections will be nested within the end sections so that the cot when collapsed will occupy a minimum of storage space.

As the end sections are moved to the intermediate phantom line position shown in Figure 4, the lower edges 60 of the horizontal flanges 14 thereof will cam upon the horizontal flanges 19 of the center sections causing the end sections to move inwardly. This will tend to automatically move the end sections towards their fully collapsed condition, since the force or pull exerted by the bed bottom is applied to the end sections above their pivots 25 and 28.

At the same time the inward movement of the end sections will place the links 24 under tension to prevent pivotal movement of the links about their pivots 25 so that the links will hold the lower edges 60 of the end sections in camming relation to the flanges 19. When the end sections are fully collapsed and engage the center sections the links 24 will permit the end sections to slide on the center sections so as to overlie them.

The user will then place the cot on one of its sides and swing the center sections 10 about their pivot 23 in the direction of the arrows 61 shown in Figure As shown in Figure 4, when the cot is in extended position, the free end of each lever 47 engages its link 45 adjacent the inner end but outwardly of the pivot 44. Thus during the initial movement of each center section in the direction of the arrow 61, the outer end of lever 47 will push against the lower edge of link 41 so that the link 41 will be moved outwardly about its pivot 44 to break the dead center between the links 40 and 4-1 at their common pivoted connection 42 and the lever 47 will be moved inwardly to bring the short link 45 into alignment with the lever.

As the center section continues to move in the direction of the arrow 61, the lever through the link 45 will continue to move the lever 41 outwardly and the link 45 will draw the link 40 with it to cause the associated supporting structure 29 to be automatically moved in the direction of the arrows 62 as shown in Figure 5 to its collapsed condition within the confines of the center section. The cot will now be in its fully collapsed condition ready for storage and may be supported upright on the free inner ends of the center sections as shown in Figure 5.

' mil L w m rm 1M The short links 49 will guide the levers 47 in their movements.

In order to extend the cot to its open position, the user will place the cot on one side and swing the center sections outwardly in the direction opposite to the arrows 61 and the parts will move in the direction opposite to that described above for the collapsing operation until the center sections reach the full line position of Figure 1. The supporting structures 29 will be automatically moved to the positions shown in Figure 1 by the movement of the center sections.

The cot will be placed upon its supporting structures 29 and the end sections will then be swung upwardly and outwardly and the camming action of the lower edges 60 of the flanges 14 will place the bed bottom under increased tension. As the end sections approach their fully extended positions the pulling force of the tensioned bed bottom will be applied to the flanges 16 of the end sec-- tions in a downward direction below the pivots 28 of the links 24 so that the end sections will be automatically snapped to their fully extended positions.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A folding cot comprising collapsible means for supporting a person thereon, a collapsible supporting structure for said collapsible means, connecting means between said collapsible means and structure whereby the collapsing and extending of said collapsible means will cause automatic collapsing and extension of said supporting means, said connecting means comprising a toggle linkage between said collapsible means and said supporting structure for causing collapsing and extension of said supporting structure, a lever on said collapsible means for actuating said toggle linkage, means for pivotally connecting said lever to said toggle linkage, said toggle linkage comprising an outer link pivotally connected to said supporting structure and an inner link pivotally connected to said collapsible means and to said outer link, said connecting means between said lever and toggle linkage comprising a link pivotally connected to said lever and said inner link, and a guide link movably connected to said collapsible means and to said lever for guiding the lever in its movements.

2. A folding cot comprising a pair of center sections connected together for movement to extended and collapsed positions, an end section connected to each center section for movement to extended and collapsed positions, a bed bottom carried by said sections, means connecting each end section to its center section, a collapsible supporting structure pivotally carried by each center section, each supporting structure comprising a pair of legs connected in spaced apart relation, automatic extension and collapsing means for each leg operable by the extension and collapsing movement of said center sections and comprising a toggle linkage movably connected to the leg and its center section, and a lever on the center section pivotally connected to said toggle linkage.

3. A folding cot as claimed in claim 2 wherein said supporting structure and extension and collapsing means have an overall width less than said center sections whereby the supporting structure and extension and collapsing means are nested within the center sections when they are in collapsed position, and said center sections are of less overall width than said end sections whereby the center sections are nested within the end sections when they are in collapsed position.

4. A folding cot comprising a pair of center sections connected together for movement to extended and collapsed positions, an end section connected to each center operable by the extension and collapsing movement of 10 said center sections and including a toggle linkage movably connected to the member and its center section,

and an operating element on the center section movably connected to said toggle linkage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,911 Lowy Apr. 23, 1918 1,265,848 Wheeler May 14, 1918 1,392,169 Johnsyn Sept. 27, 1921 1,541,105 Broome June 9, 1925 2,203,398 Weinman June 4, 1940 2,231,993 Fischer Feb. 18, 1941 

